Known for its picturesque seaside towns, incredible beach dotted coastlines, and 6ft seagulls, Cornwall is England's most popular holiday destination. And it's not hard to believe, with so much to see and explore in this beautiful part of the country. No matter the weather, you'll never get stuck for things to do or places to see. So we wanted to share with you our 10 FAVOURITE spots in Cornwall, to add some extra inspiration for your next trip there!
Here we go!
1) Falmouth
Falmouth is a nice little coastal town with a natural harbour. Quite a chilled area to wander around, with decent coffee shops, galleries and places to relax, such as Castle Beach. We stayed here for 5 nights as a base to explore other parts of Cornwall and really enjoyed the area. Also - definitely visit the Thai Orchid for dinner if you can!
2) The Minack Theatre
Minack Theatre is an open air theatre, carved in to granite Cornish cliffs of Penzance. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and boasts incredible views of Porthcurno. Well worth visiting!
3) St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island in Cornwall, which is linked to the town of Marazion by a causeway of granite setts. It's passable between mid-tide and low water. It's free to walk across to the harbour and village of the island, but if you'd like to visit the castle & grounds you will need to purchase a ticket for that. Tickets cost around £14 for an adult.
4) Saint Ives
St Ives is a lively town, full of pretty beaches, cafes, shops, art galleries and a picturesque fishing harbour. It's probably the most popular seaside town in Cornwall, which means it is almost always very busy. For this reason it's not our favourite place to come (we're getting old and like quieter places nowadays), but it's definitely still worth exploring!
5) Boscastle
Boscastle is a historic village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall. We really love this place! The village has a few little pubs and cafes, as well as some nice shops. You can take a peaceful stroll up alongside the river and past the harbour, with plenty of spots to sit and relax, or if you're after some thrills you can dive off the harbour walls, or arrange to take a kayak out and around calmer waters at the mouth of the harbour.
There are various walks you can do from Boscastle too. Follow the river down to Valency Valley through woods and meadows, or the opposite direction follow the cliff path to the heights of Willapark headland, which reaches 96metres. We climbed up to Warren Point, which offered some beautiful views.
6) Tintagel Castle
Built half on the mainland and half on a jagged headland projecting into the Cornish sea, Tintagel Castle is one of the most spectacular historic sites in Britain. We first visited Tintagel in 2016. Back then there was no bridge that linked the mainland to where the fortification ruins stood. There was only winding stairs leading you in zig-zags up and down the cliff sides and over to the where the fortification remains stand. When we returned in 2021 though, there was a large bridge that takes you straight across, which feels to us like a bit of a cheat. Although the bridge takes away the adventurous side of the journey, we can see why they have done it. The winding stairs used to be the only route to and from, which meant on many parts of the walk you would have to pass groups of people on very narrow stairways and often needed to wait for people to pass. Now with the bridge in place it means the walk is circular, you cross the bridge and then walk the winding stairs on the way back. Still worth visiting! Cost is around £15 per adult.
7) Crown Mines
The remains of the abandoned Crown Mines are set deep down in the cliff face within the village of Botallack. It's a nice walk down to old engine houses where you can climb up inside or even sit (carefully) on the window ledge looking out to sea. There is much more to explore along the cliffs, and although it can appear quite barren, there are peaceful spots to find and sit for a picnic.
8) Porthcurno Beach
Probably one of the best beaches we've even been to in the UK. With it's fine soft white sand between your toes, a sea that turns turquoise in the sun, and it's high cliffs on both sides providing shelter, it's a real gem! The photos we've included are admittedly terrible (we wasn't there for photos that day), but we promise, it's a stunning place!
9) Wheal Prosper & Trewavas Mine
If you like coastal walks and old mines, then this one's for you! We parked at Rinsey Car Park and then walked along this coastal path checking out Wheal Prosper Mine, and then on to Trewavas Mine a little further on. The fog rolled in by the time we reached Trewavas Mine which restricted some of the better views, but made for some cool photographs of the Mine. If you wanted to, you could follow the same coastal path all the way up to Porthleven.
10) Port Isaac
Port Isaac is a small, picturesque fishing village on the coast of north Cornwall. It's probably the prettiest place we visited in Cornwall. It's charming historic houses line it's quaint cobbled streets, with a fantastic choice of little shops, cafes and country pubs. It's not one to miss if you come to Cornwall!
To be honest, there's probably another 5 or 6 we could add to this list, but we thought we'd keep it to just 10! A few other places you might want to add to the list in addition to the above are: Looe, Fowey, Padstow, Newquay, and Kynance Cove.
Anyway, we hope this article has given you some new Cornwall travel inspiration!
Let us know your own Cornwall recommendations in the comments below. We'd love to discover some new spots that we've not been to before!
Thanks for reading.
Dan & Lois
